This invention relates to supports designed to support a fixture or other object between a pair of spaced structural members, such as substantially parallel studs, beams, joists or rafters, whether the members are exposed or concealed behind a wall member, such as wallboard, paneling or plaster. This invention is particularly well suited for supporting fixtures such as ceiling fans from the ceiling of a structure such as a house.
The ever increasing cost of energy has forced the public to be significantly more energy conscious. Obviously, one method for reducing the heating and cooling cost of a structure such as a house is to decrease the heating or cooling load necessary to maintain a comfortable living environment in the house. One technique is to circulate the air in each room. In the summer months, the circulating airflow has a cooling effect to the occupants of the house, even though the ambient temperature of the air remains the same. In the winter months, it is desirous to circulate the air to prevent the hot air from accumulating near the ceiling.
Probably the most widely used device for creating the airflows described above is the ceiling fan, the majority of which are reversible to force the hot air from the ceiling toward the floor during the winter months, and to force the cold air accumulating at the floor toward the ceiling in the summer months. Since some of the fans weight as much as 65 pounds, it is imperative that a solid support be provided for supporting the ceiling fan. Heretofore, virtually all of the supports constituted some form of custom-made wooden structure which was nailed to the joists of the ceiling, assuming the ceiling was accessible through the attic of the house. In some houses, the ceiling is not accessible, in which case the consumer must make a large hole in the plaster for chipboard of the ceiling to permit access to the joists for installation of the custom-made support assembly. The homeowner must then patch the hole thus formed in the ceiling. From the foregoing, it should be appreciated that many homeowners are precluded from installing ceiling fans in their homes because of the attendant difficulties and expense.